The Fencers

Lorenzo Casertano
Coach – Aladar Kogler
Started fencing in 1998 in Baltimore, MD.
Fenced for Columbia University 2005-2009.
Represents the New York Athletic Club.
Finished 14th at 2009 NCAA Championships, just missing All-American honors … placed seventh in men’s sabre at NCAA Regionals … picked up eight wins at NYU Invitational … winner of the James Murray Memorial Trophy at the 2008 Varsity C Celebration … first team All-Ivy League … qualified for NCAA Championships with seventh-place outing at Regionals … eighth at IFA Championships … 11-4 mark on second day of Ivy League Championships, helping Lions to the title … went 7-2 in tri-meet against NYU, Sacred Heart and Vassar … in 2006-07, enjoyed a solid season … won five of seven in the Ivy League … 3-0 vs. Yale and 2-1 vs. Penn in key Ivy bouts … 14-11 as a first-year, winning two of three vs. Penn State and Duke.

Cassidy Luitjen
Coach – Alex Abend
Started fencing foil in 1992 and switched to epee in 2010.
Fenced for Columbia University 2002-2006.
Represents the New York Athletic Club.
Member of the USA National Team … Cadet World finalist in 2000 in Hungary … bronze medal in Junior Women’s Foil and placed 10th in Division I at the Summer Nationals. 28-9 overall, 9-3 in the Ivy League in 2004-05 … honorable mention All-American for the second straight year after placing 11th at the NCAA Championships … missed the first four matches of the season, but performed so well in the second half of the season she earned second team All-Ivy League honors … 24-3 in last nine matches of the season … seventh at the IFA Championships … earned silver medal at Regionals … as a first-year, posted 42-8 record, 13-2 in the Ivy League … first team All-Ivy League … honorable mention All-American by finishing 10th at the NCAA Championships … won silver medal at North America Cup in juniors division, finished 20th in Division 1 … placed 4th at the IFA Championships … finished 11th at Northeast Regionals … brought a world ranking into her first year of collegiate competition.

Lauren Willock
Coach – Kornel Udvarhelyi
Started fencing in 1995 in Louisville, KY.
Fenced for New York University 2003-2007.
Represents the New York Fencer’s Club.
A four-year standout performer for the Violets’ fencing team who compiled a 170-54 epee record from 2003-07, Willock earned Second Team All-America honors by finishing eighth at the 2005 NCAA Fencing Championships. She also won the NCAA Northeast Regional epee title that year, capping a season that saw her win a career-best 54 bouts. In addition, Willock also captured the Intercollegiate Fencing Association epee championship as a freshman in 2004. A 2007 graduate of NYU’s College of Arts and Science with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, Willock also competed for the 2005 U.S. Senior World Championship squad and the 2007 U.S. World University Games team. She was a 16-time University Athletic Association (UAA) Athlete of the Week, a three-time UAA Winter Sport All-Academic honoree and a recipient of the NYU Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award in 2007. Willock secured a spot as a member of the United States National Fencing Team that will compete at the 2010 Senior World Championships in Paris, France.

Holly Buechel
Coach – Yefim Litvan
Started fencing in 2000 at Oak Knoll School in Summit, NJ.
Fenced for the University of Pennsylvania 2003-07.
Represents the New York Athletic Club.
2002 NJSIAA State Epee Champion … NJIS State Epee Champion … Santelli Team Champions … 2003 NJIS State Epee Champion … NJSIAA Epee Squad Champions … 2004 Honorable mention All-America … First-team All-Ivy … Earned a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championships … Amassed a 28-10 overall mark and a 7-2 Ivy record … Placed eighth at Temple Open in collegiate debut (11/2) … Finished 12th at Penn State Open on (11/22) … 2004 Junior Pan American Champion … 2005 First-team All-America … Second-team All-Ivy … Academic All-Ivy … Compiled a 47-12 record … Finished fourth at the NCAA Championships … Placed first at the NCAA Regionals … Took the bronze at the IFA’s on Feb. 26 … 2006 First-team All-Ivy … Went 35-10 on the season and 13-5 in Ivy League bouts … Placed 21st at the NCAA Championships (3/17) … Finished fifth at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional (3/10) … Earned the gold medal in the individual competition and a fifth-place finish in the A-Division at the IFA Championships (2/26) … 2007 Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area … Went 39-23 overall and 10-8 against Ivy League opponents … 2011 World University Team member.